


Blue Moon

by YulianaHenderson



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Seriously Fluffy, a series of fluffy one-shots, both but it's not as confusing as it sounds, not necessarily always canon compliant, with only a little bit of angst here and there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 4,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YulianaHenderson/pseuds/YulianaHenderson
Summary: "Mitth’raw’nuruodo knew he was rather biased in his opinion of Eli Vanto. The human had been the only one of his kind that had shown Thrawn any human decency, any kindness at all, and perhaps it was for that reason that the Chiss had been attracted to him at first, but he knew there was so much more to him."A series of fluffy one-shots, some related to the others, but mostly stand-alone pieces.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Mitth’raw’nuruodo knew he was rather biased in his opinion of Eli Vanto. The human had been the only one of his kind that had shown Thrawn any human decency, any kindness at all, and perhaps it was for that reason that the Chiss had been attracted to him at first, but he knew there was so much more to him.

Eli Vanto was truly the sweetest human being that Thrawn had ever met, period. It didn’t mean, however, that every day was a good day, for neither of them. After more than four years of friendship and another two years of marriage, however, it became increasingly easier for them both to pick up on the subtle changes that indicated that today was not a good day. Neither of them was very clear in that type of language, after all.

Eli had smiled at him as he had come home, sure, but the corners of his lips hadn’t curled up like they usually did, and that hand with the ring Thrawn had put there over two years ago had not come out to brush Thrawn’s hair out of his face. The Chiss let it slide at first, letting the human relax a little and rewind after a day of work. 

Thrawn smiled faintly as he watched Eli shrug off his jacket and hang it over a kitchen chair, then Eli plopped down on the couch and rested his head against the back, breathing in deeply and exhaling on a sigh. Thrawn couldn’t help himself from leaning down and kissing the human’s cheek, before grabbing his keys and setting out on his quest. 

He returned a mere half-hour later and immediately checked up on his lover, finding the sweetheart asleep on the couch, softly snoring. Thrawn’s heart melted like it usually did when his eyes landed on Eli, and pulled out a thin blanket and covered the human with it. 

He put his groceries on the kitchen table and started preparing dinner. 

He was just finishing up when he heard the telltale shuffling noise of dainty human feet and chuckled when he looked to his side and saw Eli standing beside him, his eyes clouded by sleep, the blanket wrapped around him tightly. The human would never quite get used to living on an ice planet, and one of these days, Thrawn might find them a safe and comfortable planet to settle on instead of his own home planet of Rentor. Anywhere with Eli was home, and the human felt the same way. However, Thrawn preferred him to be comfortable, too. Humans were generally able to adapt to cold weather conditions but Eli had been born and raised on Lysatra, a planet that was hot and dry year-round, so his biology no doubt differed from other humans. 

“That smells nice,” Eli murmured, stepping up to Thrawn and wrapping both arms sloppily around him. The blanket almost ended up in the soup but Thrawn was able to stop it just in time. The Chiss wrapped Eli into his arms tightly for a few moments, before lifting him and placing him on the kitchen counter, stepping in between the human’s spread legs. 

There were things that smelled way better to Thrawn, the soup he was preparing didn’t even come close to the smell of Eli, especially after the human had worked hard. He smelled like the many cups of caf he’d had at work, the copious amounts of cinnamon he put in it, and his body wash that smelled so typically of Eli anyway. Thrawn leaned in, kissed the human’s neck, then took in a deep breath and sighed in bliss - yep, still very much in love with every part of Eli Vanto. 

“I cannot pretend to know how hard your day has been, but I got some items that might improve the remaining hours.”

Eli smiled at him, still a little strained, and Thrawn recognized it as a headache that was either slowly building behind those deep brown eyes, or was already manifesting heavily. Thrawn studied Eli a little longer before stepping away and returning to his previously abandoned groceries. He perused them, before grabbing what he figured he needed and returned to Eli, who had removed the blanket from around his shoulders and was leaning over the pot where the soup was simmering. 

Eli met Thrawn’s eyes, looked down at the Chiss’s hands, and then the brightest smile spread across the human’s face, certainly the brightest the human had shown him all day thus far. 

“Stars, I love you.”

He hopped off the kitchen counter and came up to Thrawn, leaning on his tiptoes and kissing his lips, before taking the family-sized bar of chocolate and snickering as he snuck off to start on the candy before Thrawn could ask for a portion, too.

The Chiss simply smiled as he watched Eli disappear, knowing it wasn’t for long, knowing Eli had seen that dinner was almost ready. Thrawn absolutely loved taking care of his husband, even if it meant that said husband kept most of the candy in their house to himself.

Thrawn was definitely willing to make that sacrifice. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I said that this is a series of fluffy, short, one-shots, I wasn't lying - well, perhaps a little bit, but the lie I told was that SOME of the one-shots are about Thrawn and Eli before they got together, but they're still quite fluffy. Most of them. Anyway.  
> Also, most of these one-shots don't really relate to the others, and they're not in the right order. It's very self-explanatory when we reach a chapter that focuses on them before they got together, alright thank youuu.

Thrawn was the kind of person who fully dedicated himself to something he studied, and there were no lengths he wouldn’t go to fully understand said subject. 

Eli Vanto was no exception.

Neither was the term ‘pillow talk’. 

That last one had come up in his studies of Basic, and he had seen the definition in his dictionary. It was simply a concept that was unfamiliar to him. Chiss mated for life and didn’t do the kind of casual couplings that humans seemed to commit to, and Thrawn hadn’t found his mate among the Chiss; therefore, he had never experienced pillow talk, so he had no idea what it was truly about.

That was until he had gotten together with Eli Vanto, and had quickly learned what the true definition of the term was, and why people seemed to talk so highly of it, too. 

He had his human wrapped up tightly in his arms and their foreheads were resting against the other, both still slightly out of breath after their earlier exertions. Eli’s eyes were closed in bliss, the corners of his lips tilted upwards - Thrawn couldn’t help himself from tracing the curl of Eli’s lips, and brushing the long, dark brown hair out of his face, too.

“That was…” Eli started, but he seemed to come up empty. Thrawn knew the feeling. It was not their first time, but somehow, it always felt as amazing as the first time had been.

“I love you,” Thrawn whispered, the words still so foreign to his lips, but the feelings were always so intense inside his chest that he just had to say the words, had to remind Eli of what it was that they were doing, of where he stood on things. “I love cuddling with you like this.”

He placed feather-light kisses to Eli’s eyelids and smiled when the human hummed in appreciation.

“I never thought we would get here, my love,” Thrawn whispered quietly, shuffling in closer to his human lover. “I have been in love with you for so long, and I always assumed my feelings were not reciprocated. I am so happy to be here with you.”

Eli had stopped responding, their foreheads still leaning against each other and a smile still on the human’s lips, but the humming had stopped. Thrawn looked down to see what had happened - and then saw the relaxed and steady breathing of the human in the rise and fall of his chest. 

Eli was already asleep. Thrawn’s heart warmed and he had to take in a deep breath to make sure his feelings didn’t get the better of him, not then.

He leaned down carefully and reached for the comforter that was close by, before covering them with it and gathering Eli even tighter into his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, please let me know in the form of a comment or a kudo!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw most of the chapters are going to be short and for that reason I'm going at a maddening pace publishing them all because y'all deserve that okay byee.

Once in a blue moon, Thrawn and Eli took the time and effort to travel to Eli’s home planet, usually for some annual celebration they didn’t celebrate enough according to Eli’s parents. They had thought of skipping this year, too, but then Eli’s mother had asked him if they were coming over and the human was not good at telling his parents, or anyone for that matter, ‘no’. So now, they made their way over to Eli’s childhood home, hands itching to hold on to the other but knowing that would only bring some unpleasantness that they didn’t feel up to at that point.

Eli had gotten distracted as he caught sight of a playground of some sort, or something that had once been a playground when Eli had been younger. Thrawn watched his husband walk past the deserted play equipment, running his hand along some of the surfaces, and no doubt experiencing his childhood again. 

“My best friend Rose and I spent so much time here,” Eli started eventually, his voice soft and sort of far away, too. “Home wasn’t necessarily unsafe for either of us, but here, we could discuss whatever we wanted, and do whatever we wanted.”

Eli dove into a long monologue about his childhood, the initial somber tone of his perusing fading quickly until the human was smiling brightly and explaining exactly how much fun his childhood had been, all things considered, especially with his best friend. Thrawn’s heart warmed, as it did so often, and he looked at his husband with a smile. 

Eli hardly even noticed, right until he did.

“What?”

Thrawn shook his head, his smile not fading one bit. “I adore you, Eli Vanto.”

Eli blushed and shoved at Thrawn, but it was only a half-hearted attempt. Thrawn leaned down to kiss Eli’s lips briefly, remembering where they were, before they continued on their way. 

Thrawn had always adored Eli Vanto, but everyday living with this beautiful human being simply added more things to that list.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter you may use as a little blanket on a cold evening!

Thrawn had never before in his life faced a dilemma as difficult and possibly life-altering as he did in this very moment.

He had an important meeting with Admiral Ar’alani about the continued existence of threats to the Chiss Ascendancy, and they were supposed to discuss what Thrawn could do to help the CEDF, considering he was now a mere civilian and no longer in the military ranks like he had been before.

It was a really,  _ really _ important meeting. That was supposed to have started thirty minutes ago. Yet there was something even more pressing that was keeping Thrawn from getting there - quite literally, he admitted with an amused smile. 

He could hear his comlink going off in the next room, but didn't have the heart to get up and answer it. 

Eli had fallen asleep by his side last night, but at some point during the night, for whatever reason, he had climbed on top of Thrawn and stood his ground firmly now - or rather,  _ laid _ his ground. That didn't make a lot of sense in Basic, but Thrawn’s mind was otherwise occupied.

"My love," he whispered, running a hand gently through Eli's hair in an attempt to wake him up. He knew it usually did the trick, but Eli had had a long day the day before, so it wouldn't surprise Thrawn if he slept in for far longer than usual. "Eli…"

The human groaned and stirred, only barely awake. Thrawn was only using half-hearted attempts to wake him, not really wanting Eli to move from his position. 

Eventually, however, Eli slid off his chest and suddenly realized that there was more to do than lay in bed all day, even if neither of them would have complained much. Thrawn did adore watching Eli wake up like this, however. 

"Kriff, what time is it?" Eli asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Thrawn was a little sad for a bit that the moment had passed, but now at least he could face yet another beautiful day with this beautiful human.

“I think it’s around nine.”

“ _ Nine _ ?! Thrawn, I’m late for work! Why didn’t you wake me?”

Thrawn sat up slightly and looked at his husband, who was quickly panicking and getting up out of bed.

“I liked the sight of you asleep,” Thrawn admitted with a smile, not making any progress on his own getting ready. Eli looked at him, half annoyance, half exasperation, but then just rolled his eyes and knelt on the bed with one knee. Eli cupped Thrawn’s cheeks and linked their lips on a brief, tender and sweet kiss.

“You will get me fired one day, darling.”

“I fail to see a downside to that.”

“Of course you do.”

But the sweet little smiles that Eli flashed him as he got dressed told Thrawn that that thought had perhaps crossed Eli’s mind, too.

Explaining to Admiral Ar’alani why he was late, however, was not as easy as first thought. It didn’t mean that she didn’t understand, and Thrawn was certain she was forming a completely different picture in her head of what had happened - Thrawn cherished waking up with his beautiful husband like he had done that morning, all sleepy smiles and kisses and eye-rolls and more sweet kisses. That was what made life worth living to Thrawn.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more emotional but ends on a happy note!

They both knew who the better cook was, and both of them had a different answer to that question. It was a recurring discussion with them but it brought them both joy to prove the other wrong.

Thrawn was now preparing breakfast, as he was definitely the better cook, while Eli was still in bed - at least, he was the last time he had checked. Thrawn had always enjoyed cooking, but especially now, with the idea that his love might soon enjoy his food, albeit slightly peeved because of their ongoing discussion.

Apparently, he was so distracted by that thought alone that he hadn’t noticed Eli had entered the room, and startled slightly when the human wrapped his arms around him from behind. Eli stood there for a while, his head leaning against Thrawn’s back, and the Chiss loved it, loved how much they loved each other.

They had only been together for about two months, but everything felt so incredibly familiar already. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that they had been friends for a while before getting together, or perhaps their love was just meant to be like this. Either way, Thrawn wasn’t complaining, and neither was Eli.

“Stars, that smells good. I’ll marry you someday,” Eli whispered, perhaps thinking that Thrawn wouldn’t hear it, but instead, it was as if the rest of the universe had faded out of existence, and the only thing Thrawn heard loud and clear was Eli’s proclamation of love.

Thrawn spun around and looked down at his lover.

“Why not do it now?”

Thrawn admired how shock spread across Eli’s face, unable to stop the emotion from showing. They hadn’t talked about this before, but somehow, Thrawn felt like they were on the same page on the matter. Neither had experienced this before, the love that they shared now, and it felt relieving, fulfilling, satisfying. Thrawn would never take this for granted.

“I was just kidding,” Eli admitted quietly. Thrawn brushed Eli’s cheek and brushed his thumb over his lips. 

“I wasn’t.”

“Thrawn…”

“ _ Eli… _ ”

Eli chuckled nervously, pulling back a little from Thrawn, taking back his arms from around his waist, too. Thrawn wouldn’t have it, however, and gathered him in his arms again.

“Will you marry me, Eli?”

Eli finally met his eyes, tears in the corners of them, and Thrawn recognized how his initial nervousness had been replaced by determination and love. 

“You know my answer,” Eli replied, his voice still low and quiet. He was right, Thrawn did know Eli’s answer, had felt it for a while now. This kind of love was unfamiliar to both of them, neither had ever felt this way before, and both of them fought hard to keep the other close. Not that there was truly much fighting going on, considering they both wanted the same thing.

Chiss didn’t marry the same way that humans did, but Thrawn had always been more human than Chiss, and wasn’t surprised that he wanted to conform to human standards more than his own. Perhaps it was because his human was so completely adorable, and he loved satisfying him in whatever way possible.

“Then say it.”

“Please-“ A choke interrupted the word but Eli didn’t bother further to get some intelligible words out. He stood on tiptoes, wrapped his arms around Thrawn’s neck, and kissed him deeply. Thrawn lifted him and placed him on the kitchen counter, deepening the kiss further, until the smell of burnt eggs interrupted Eli’s attempt to pull off Thrawn’s shirt.

They both looked at the breakfast beside them, tears drying on Eli’s cheeks, before the human chuckled and pulled Thrawn close again.

“Guess we know who’s the better coo- ouch!” 

Thrawn definitely didn’t nip Eli’s earlobe a little too hard on purpose.

“I already proposed to you. Don’t push your luck, Eli Vanto.”

Eli chuckled warmly and drew the Chiss in just like that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is admittedly very cliché but I really really want such a moment to have taken place between Eli and Thrawn in Canon. It's a shame they will never actually be gay...

Thrawn had never had a friend like Eli. The human was kind, considerate, always remembered his birthday and always made sure he ate enough when Thrawn was otherwise too occupied himself to remember it.

Eli was a different friend in another way, too - Thrawn knew he was hopelessly in love with the human, but he could never act upon those feelings, couldn’t possibly bring himself to ruin their friendship like that. He knew Eli didn’t reciprocate his feelings, so to take that step would make things unnecessarily awkward between them, and he needed the human’s kindness for a little longer.

They were on a mission on some faraway planet, scouting for allies for the Empire, when they were rewarded with a bit of downtime, something that was so rare during missions like these that they scarcely knew what to do with their time.

Thrawn saw Eli sitting on a hill nearby, his back towards Thrawn, but he could still see that it was undoubtedly Eli Vanto. The human was looking at the setting suns, his knees pulled up and his elbows resting on them. 

Thrawn’s heart fluttered chaotically in his chest when he came close enough to see how the sunlight cast pleasing shadows on Eli’s face, emphasizing exactly what Thrawn found so beautiful about him.

“Sit down, you’re making me nervous,” Eli said eventually, his voice laced with amusement, and Thrawn did exactly what Eli told him.

They were silent for the longest time, both satisfied with how comfortable they were around each other. They had always been able to carry silences and have zero expectations of a conversation, and Thrawn appreciated feeling so comfortable around Eli.

"Eli?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for being here."

Eli scoffed, a smile pulling on his lips. "Not like I had a choice."

"Perhaps not. I still appreciate you being here, though. Thank you, for being my friend."

Eli looked to his side now, looking at him for the first time since he had sat down here. Thrawn could swear he saw untold emotions in those deep brown eyes, but wouldn't allow himself to get hopeful. 

Eli reached out and put his hand on Thrawn's upper arm.

"You're welcome, Thrawn. I appreciate you being my friend, too."

The moment lingered for a bit, their eyes linked. Thrawn felt his heart beat frantically in his chest - he would give anything to just lean in and kiss Eli, hug him, do whatever it was that human lovers did - but there was this boundary between them, and he could never cross it.

Eli tore his eyes away and Thrawn took in a deep, silent breath, his heart hurting as it knew what it wanted.

"The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?" Eli asked, his voice a little unsteady, surprising Thrawn completely. His heart fluttered again, new hope giving it life. 

"It really is."

Thrawn had not even briefly looked at the sunset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, if you have any suggestions or wishes for what you would like to see, let me know! I have some more chapters left but always looking for more inspiration! And thanks for sticking around for this long if you're still reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Eli Vanto was a grown man, capable of in-depth conversations and independent thoughts - but at the best of times, the inner child inside him was released, and Thrawn loved it so much he could hardly put into words how entertained he was in those moments.

Thrawn usually did the grocery shopping himself, preferring to do it during the day so the shop wasn't crowded and Eli was at work. Today, however, Eli had a day off and insisted he join Thrawn. The Chiss had known in advance that the human wouldn't like it, but had never stopped him from chasing whatever it was - even if that meant trailing behind Thrawn like a stubborn child, complaining every step of the way. Eli hated acting this way, and always apologized afterward - Thrawn, again, secretly loved it a lot.

Thrawn had known Eli would probably act childish, so he may or may not have promised some entirely adult-only activities when they were finished here.

"Are we done yet?" Eli asked, or rather, whined. 

"Yes, we are done…"

Eli's face lit up and there was hope spreading throughout his features, the promise that had been made not forgotten.

"... with this half of the shopping list. We still have the other side left."

All hope was drained from Eli's face, and he actually pouted, but then seemed to gather his composure, realizing what and where he was, and then straightened his back.

"Why must you be so cruel to me?" Eli asked, only mostly serious, and Thrawn smiled. He put a hand on Eli's hip, before wandering slightly down and pulling him close with the same hand on his butt.

"The earlier promise still stands."

Eli’s lips curled into a beautiful and cheeky smile, and he behaved the rest of their trip. Thrawn knew how to handle his man-child, and it still filled him with joy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to inform you that I have started watching Merlin a few days ago and that show is gay to the max and I love every moment of it. That's it, go enjoy this chapter!

Thrawn was sitting on their living room couch one evening, reading a book, enjoying the peace and silence, when his husband rushed into the living room and dove into his lap, a blanket following him, covering them both. Eli didn't move after that, and Thrawn chuckled warmly, heart melting like it often did at the sight of this wonderful human.

"What are you doing, my love?"

Eli squirmed a little, finding a better position. "Hiding."

"Do you mean… hugging?"

Eli looked up at him, blanket slipping from his head and revealing his face. Oh. It was one of those afternoons.

"Did I stutter?" Eli asked, wrapping his arms around Thrawn tightly and resting his head against Thrawn's chest. The blanket had slipped further and Thrawn caught the edges, pulling it up and covering Eli with it again. "This is my safe place."

How was it possible for his heart to warm even more at those words? How was Thrawn still so madly in love with Eli that he couldn’t get any words out, that he was genuinely rendered speechless? How was it possible that Eli felt this way inside Thrawn’s arms, that he sought the comfort of his husband like this? What had Thrawn done right to deserve this?

“Now put your arms around me,” Eli muttered, and Thrawn could feel him softening when he did, the stress in the human’s back dissipating. Thrawn pulled the blanket up all the way and shifted on the couch, holding on tightly to Eli while getting comfortable himself.

They both woke up about two hours later.


	9. Chapter 9

Today felt like he lived on a pink cloud, oblivious to anything bad, only focusing on all the good in his life. 

Today was the day he got to marry Eli Vanto. He couldn't believe he would ever get here. He still remembered thinking his feelings would never be reciprocated, that Eli didn't love him back - but now, they were here, and he had never been happier.

He fastened the cufflinks on his jacket, straightened the lapels. He wasn't good enough for Eli, he knew that, the human deserved so much better. Yet somehow, for some reason, Eli had chosen him, and was apparently as much in love with him and Thrawn was with Eli. He looked at himself in the mirror and felt that doubt creep more into his heart.

Then, he heard Eli come down the stairs, his pace slow and steady but a little hesitant, too. Thrawn turned around with a big smile, ready to meet his soon-to-be husband, and when his eyes landed on the human, he felt like his heart had leapt out of his chest.

Wow. Just… Thrawn was incapable of rational thought, any thought whatsoever, as he looked at the absolutely gorgeous man standing in front of him in his best suit.

Eli looked at him, too, no doubt going through the same thought process. 

"So are you gonna say something?" Eli asked, smile on his lips, eyebrows raised. 

"I… I do not know what to say."

"Who knew the way to make you speechless was a good suit."

Thrawn shook his head and closed the distance between them, gathering Eli in his arms. 

"It's not the suit, Eli, my love."

Eli blushed and Thrawn smiled, leaning down and kissing his lips briefly.

"You are so beautiful, Eli Vanto."

Eli blushed deeper and it made him all the more beautiful to Thrawn, who wondered how he had gotten so damn lucky to have this beautiful man become his husband. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that at this point, I'm mostly writing this for myself but that's alright, at least I had fun writing it, lol.

Admiral Ar'alani knew exactly what Thrawn and Eli were, long before she had even met the human. Mitth’raw’nuruodo cared about people, but the moment he had called her to ask if she would take in Eli, even if it was for his professional skills, she had heard the frustration and desperation in his voice, could hear the internal struggle he was dealing with without any words being uttered about the topic.

Which is why, when Thrawn made the decision to quit his career with the Imperial Navy and return to be with Eli Vanto, Ar'alani had let out a deep sigh of relief - she knew she wasn't the only one.

"We have to discuss the dangers of such a mission," Thrawn said, returning her thoughts to the conversation at hand. He wasn't technically in the CEDF, but he often worked as a consultant of some kind, giving advice on situations where nobody else saw a way out. He dedicated a lot of time to it, too, like he had in the past, but then without the added danger to his life and the lives of the people he cared about.

"Do the dangers not outweigh the possible results we might gain?"

"Possibly. I suggest we…" and he trailed off. Ar'alani frowned. Thrawn never got distracted, not in her presence or to her knowledge anyway, so to hear him like this confused her a little. It wasn't like she didn't already have a vague idea of what might have happened, but she wanted to think better of the two.

She tried to get the conversation going, and Thrawn followed along, but now she definitely heard the near inaudible gasps the other Chiss was releasing, or the way his speech came out as stutters. Barely noticeable perhaps to someone who didn't know him - but she did know him, unfortunately. 

"You enjoy yourselves. Call me back when you're done."

She had barely finished her sentence before the call was ended on the other side, and she put down her comlink with a secret smile.

She appreciated Eli Vanto keeping Mitth'raw'nuruodo happy. She had never succeeded, and try she had. But Thrawn needed a lover and a partner, and she could only give friendly support. 

It was alright. A happy Thrawn was a productive Thrawn.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know in an earlier chapter Thrawn proposed to Eli, but this chapter and that chapter aren't related, alright. Not even first cousins or something.

Thrawn and Eli enjoyed their time together, just the two of them, but they enjoyed being among their friends and family, too. Admiral Ar'alani had invited them for lunch and those were always lush and lavish, and they enjoyed her company, too.

Ar'alani told them about whatever action she had seen on her last trip with the CEDF, and both Thrawn and Eli were enthralled by her stories. They were happy they had left the Imperial Navy, and the CEDF, too, but they had enjoyed the action and missed that sometimes.

"So, when are you tying the knot?" Ar'alani asked in Cheunh, looking at Thrawn. Eli frowned. Thrawn and Eli had never really talked about marriage, but both of them knew, or had the feeling anyway, that marriage was definitely in the cards for them. Chiss didn't have the same ideas on marriage as humans did, but Ar'alani knew that, too - she had done her research.

"Hopefully soon," Thrawn replied, his cheeks taking on such a slight hue of purple that it was probably only visible to Eli. The two didn't look at him, as if he wasn't included in the conversation anymore, even though they were definitely talking about him, too. They were still talking in Cheunh. 

Eli ignored for the moment how the idea of Thrawn apparently wanting to get married made his heart flutter in his chest.

"Are you planning something?"

"I have some ideas in my head, but nothing concrete."

Suddenly, Eli realized what was going on, and he laughed out loud and blushed at the same time. 

"You do realize that I speak Cheunh too, right?" Eli said eventually, in the same language.

Thrawn flushed a deep purple; Ar'alani looked at Eli, horrified, a bit ashamed, too. 

Well. Guess Eli and Thrawn had some talking to do when they got home. 


End file.
